Valve.



No. 368,391. y -1 11T1;NTBD OCT. 15, 1907.

P. ALLEN.

VALVE.

APPLIOATION FILED JULY10,1903.

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UNITED STAIRS PATENT OFFICE.

PHILIP ALLEN, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGNOR TO GENERAL FIRE EXTINGUISI-IER COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

VALVE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented oct. 15, 1907.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Piume ALLEN, of Providence, in the county of Providence and State of Rhode Island, have invented certain new and usel'ul Improvements in Valves, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to that class of valves in which a liquid, usually water, under pressure is held in check by a valve which is held to its seat by the action of a less pressure and is opened upon the reduction of the light pressure. Such valves are especially useful in connection with automatic sprinkler systems in which the water is held in check by a valve closed by the action of a light air pressure in the system and the valve embodying the present invention is especially designed for use in connection with such systems although not confined to such use.

The object o1' the invention isto provide a valve of this general class which is simple in construction and reliable in action and in which upon the reduction of pressure in the system the valve proper will be fully opened and remain open, thereby insuring the continued and uninterrupted flow of water to the system. This is accomplished by holding the valve closed again st pressure by the action of a less pressure and withdrawing the valveto one side of its seat by the action of fluid pressure upon the reduction of pressure in the system and consequent opening or partial opening of the valve.

The construction and arrangement of Svalve and cooperating means for holding it toits scat by the action of a pressure less than the pressure of the'liquid held in check by the valve, and the construction and arrangement of devices for withdrawing the valve to one side of its seat by the action of the fluid pressure when the helding pressure is reduced may be widely varied in embodying the features of the invention in various forms 0f valve mechanism and I do not intend to limit my invention to the particular construction and arrangement of such devices which is shown in the accompanying drawings and hereinafter specifically described.

The various features of the invention will be set forth in the claims and will be better understood from a cle-- tailed description of a valve mechanism embodying all such features.

In the drawings in which such a valve mechanism is shown, Figure l is a sectional elevation on the line l-l Fig. 2, Fig. 2 is a sectional plan view with parts broken away, Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation on the line 3 3 Fig. 2, and Fig. 4 is a similar elevation of a modified when the valve is' connected with the system, is provided with a valve seat 5 for a valve 6 arranged within the casing. The valve is normally held to the valve seat again st the pressure in the supply pipe by the light air pressure in the system. The means [or thus holding the valve to its seat in the construction shown in Figs. I, 2 and 3, consist of a movable member in the form of a flexible diaphragm 7 which separates the intermediate chamber 8 from the light pressure chamber 9 which is in communication with the system. The chamber S is connected with the atmosphere through a drip opening l0 so that the pressure in said chamber is less than the pressure in the system and light pressure chamber. The pressure upon the upper side of the diaphragm is therefore greater than the pressure on the lower side and the diaphragm is so connected with the valve that this pressure tends to force the valve against the valve seat 5 and by reason of the greater area subjected to the light air pressure the valve is held to its scat against the high pressure in the supply pipe.

In the construction shown the outlet from the chamber 8 is through an opening 1l in the diaphragm 7. The diaphragm 7 is provided with a valve seat l2 surrounding the opening Il and arranged to be seated upon the upper side of the valve 6 so that the valve serves to normally close the outlet opening II and when in normal position forms in effect a part ot' the movable member which is subjected to the light air pressure in the system. As long as the light air pressure is maintained in the system the pressure upon the movable member holds the valve seats and valve firmly in engagement so that there is no communication between the inlet passage 4 and the intermediate chamber 8 or between the system and the intermediate chamber. When the light air pressure is reduced by the opening of a sprinkler for instance, the pressure in the inlet 4 lifts the valve G from the valve seat 5 allowing the water to flow into the chamber 8. When this occurs the valve 6 is withdrawn from between the valve seats 5 and I2 by the pressure of the Water upon a movable member connected with the valve. In the construction shown, the movable member, which is subjected to the pressure ot the water in the supply pipe when the pressure in the system is reduced and the valve 6 opens, consists of a piston 13 mounted in a cylinder I4 which is connected to the valve casing and communicates with the chamber 8. This piston is connected with the valve by means of a link 15 one end of which is connected to the piston rod 1G and the other end of which is pivotally connected with the valve. When the water flows into the chamber 8 it acts against the inner side of the piston I3 and forces said piston outward in thecylinder llthus drawing the valve to one side of the valve seat 5 and from between this valve seat and the valve seat 12. The outer end ofthe cylinder 14 is closed and an vent provided around the piston rod so that an air cushion will be formed back of the piston to prevent too sudden movement thereof when subjected to the pressure oi the water in the chamber 8. As the valve is drawn to one side by the action of the water on the piston 13 it is guided and supported in ways 17 provided with guiding slots engaged by ribs 18 on the valve. The ribs 18 fit loosely within the guide ways 17 so that the proper vertical movements of the valve will not be interfered with.

By withdrawing the valve to one side oi the valve seat when the pressure in the system is reduced the valve is moved into a position where it will remain open until manually returned to its seat and the communication between the supply pipe and the system will therefore remain open until the valve is again intentionally reseated. By reason of the arrangement of the inlet and outlet opposite each other with a valve arranged between the valve seats at the inlet and outlet and withdrawn from between the valve seats upon the reduction of the pressure in the system, an unobstructed and direct passage for the flow of the water from the supply pipe to the system is provided which is of advantage in insuring a proper and continuous supply oi water under all conditions. By employing a movable member subjected to the pressure of the water in the supply pipe when the pressure in the system is reduced for withdrawingl the valve a sufficient force is insured for effecting the withdrawal of the valve under all conditions.

After the valve has operated to open the communication between the supply pipe and the system it may be reset in the following manner. The water supply is cut ofi' and the handhole 19 opened by removing the plate 20 so that access to the interior et the valve casing may be had. The valve seats are cleaned and the valve drawn baci; into position between the valve seats. When in this position the valve seat 12 is pressed lightly against the outer seat of 'the valve either by reason of the tension of the diaphragm 7 or by the laction of a light spring 21 which tends to vforce the diaphragm toward the valve seat 5. The valve is guided between the valve seats as it is moved into position by the ribs 18 and ways 17 and the valve may be somewhat tapered as indicated in Fig. 1 to facilitate the entrance of the valve between the valve seats or the valve may be provided with inclined surfaces at its forward edge to facilitate its passage between the valve seats. W hen the valve is brought into position between the valve seats the proper pressure is produced in the system after which the water pressure is turned on.

In Fig. 4 a modified form of movable member for separating the intermediate chamber from the system is shown, the movable member in this construction consisting of a piston 7EL tting within the valve casing and acting in substantially the same manner as the diaphragm 7 shown in Figs. 143. In other respects the construction shown in Fig. 4 is the same as that shown in Figs. 1 3 and the mode of operation is the What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is;

1. In a dry-pipe valve, the combination of a valve, a xed seat for said Valve, a movable seat for said valve, between which seats the valve is clamped by the pressure in the system as long as the requisite pressure is maintained, means for withdrawing said valve from between said seats, and means independent of the pressure in the system for holdingl the movable seat against the valve in resetting the valve and while the pressure in the system is being raised to the requisite point, substantially as described.

2. In a dry-pipe valve, the combination of a valve, a fixed seat for said valve, a movable seat for said valve, between which seats the valve is clamped by the pressure in the system as long as the requisite pressure is maintained, means for withdrawingl said valve from between said seats, and a spring for holding the movable seat against the valve in resetting the valve and while the pressure in the system is being' raised to the required point, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof 1 have affixed my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

PHILIP ALLEN.

Witnesses .Lmns W. RIPLEY,v Josnrn A. PHILLIPS. 

